


Incalescent

by digitalsoop



Series: Kono Ai Wo Kasanete [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-11-07
Packaged: 2017-12-30 16:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 11,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitalsoop/pseuds/digitalsoop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(adj.) Growing more ardent</p>
<p>Drabbles focusing on the pairing Makoto x Gou, presented as interconnected chapters that play off of the timeline and plot of Free!</p>
<p>Cross posted from Tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story not long after Free! started, and before I read High Speed! so this first chapter might not line up with the canon of the series. The series was actually inspired by a piece of fanart, 001 by pixiv user itoko.

1.

_Ah, that girl… she looks like Rin._

Makoto wasn't sure how she had caught his eye. He had been talking to Haruka about the relay, and he was still staring at the pool as if he hadn't noticed the lapse into silence. She was so tiny she hadn't really been in his line of vision, so given that he had been preoccupied he really shouldn't have noticed her at all. Maybe her bright red hair was what he had noticed, since it was in a ponytail high on her head.

He turned his head to watch her go; she was carrying a small grocery bag in her hands, and wearing a pink dress, so she probably wasn't part of any of the swim clubs. It seemed like she was heading to the bleachers.

_Actually, didn't Rin mention he had a sister?_

"Hey, Haru."

His friend's eyes widened for a moment, flicking up to his face. "What?"

Makoto hesitated, glancing over his shoulder, but he saw no sign of red hair or a dress. He smiled, looking back at Haruka, who seemed to be mustering all of his energy to keep his eyes away from the pool. "Our turn for the relay is coming up. Maybe we should go stretch."

He looked uninterested, surely thinking he didn't need to stretch, but nodded all the same. Stretching would take Haruka further from the water, but it would get Makoto closer to Rin. He wasn't at all surprised to see him stretching, his expression serious and his eyes hard; a lot of his concentration seemed to be going into ignoring Nagisa's chatter.

For some reason he felt nervous about bringing up the subject, and so he spent a long time nodding absently and slowly moving closer to Rin, as if it would make it easier to ask. Finally he felt there was no reason to put it off, and smiled as he took a breath. "Hey, Rin."

Rin raised his eyebrows, stretching his arms above his head. "Yeah?"

"You have a sister, right?"

"Yeah. Gou." He frowned, his arms falling to his sides and swinging. "She's probably here with my mom."

_Gou…_

Makoto didn't mention he had seen her. 


	2. Chapter 2

2.

_She’s staring at us, isn’t she?_

It was easy to see past Nagisa. Even though he was now in high school he was still as short as ever, and over the years Makoto had only gotten taller.

_Well, he is making a lot of noise. Still…._

She wasn’t exactly in his line of sight. He had been looking at Haruka and Nagisa, before glancing in her direction; she was with another girl, eating her lunch by the door to the roof.  Though there was a decent amount of space between them, he could clearly tell she was staring, and she didn’t waver when he looked at her. She continued to stare, and so did he, until she frowned and closed her eyes, as if something had upset her.

He wasn’t sure what to make of it.

"Mako! Do something!"

He laughed, holding up his hands as Nagisa clung to him, apparently unable to bear with Haruka’s icy demeanor any longer. “What do you mean? Haru doesn’t listen to me either, you know.”

"That’s not true!"

"It’s completely true! Anyway, we don’t have to worry about clubs right now. It’s still early in the year," he reasoned. Nagisa sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping, and he continued to express his disappointment about not being able to swim together. He wanted to point out that his idea for a hot spring club wouldn’t have gotten them swimming together, but instead he reminded him that Haruka still swims in the ocean, and that once it was warm enough they could swim together again.

Haruka didn’t protest, so when they began to leave the roof Nagisa was in much better spirits. Makoto did his best to glance at the girls eating lunch without being noticed. She didn’t look up.

"You know, the club we used to swim at is being torn down!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first few chapters stick pretty close to canon, but then it pulls off into "behind the scenes" type chapters. Set up is important you know! I also don't use honorifics in my writing, since I personally find it distracting, but if people find it more distracting without them I can add them.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

He pretended that he hadn’t noticed her watching them while they were sitting in the grass together the next day. He was starting to think it was less about the noise and more about… something else. Maybe she knew Nagisa? They were in the same year. Or maybe she had a crush on Haruka? Since she was a first year she probably wasn’t familiar with his personality, which normally convinced most people to give up.

He didn’t want to get too caught up in wondering about it. She wasn’t doing anything bad, after all. Besides, what had happened in the swim club the night before was taking up most of his thoughts; he wasn’t at all surprised that they were scolded for trespassing, though he wasn’t sure how the school had found out.

He felt bad, though it was more because of the discovery of how much Rin had changed. Haruka had decided to put the events behind him, but Makoto and Nagisa were persistent. He had a feeling that persistence was what had convinced Haruka to leave school early, but it gave him and Nagisa the opportunity to snoop around all the lockers for Rin’s name.

It was a little painful to bend so low, and he was starting to feel like it was for nothing. Judging from Nagisa’s muttering, he hadn’t found anything either.

_Maybe I was being a little too optimistic when I suggested this._ _Ah, here..! Or, maybe not._

"Matsuoka Gou?" For some reason, all he could think of was a small girl in a dress.

_The girl on the roof…_


	4. Chapter 4

4.

_She still looks like Rin._

Though she insisted her name was pronounced Kou, he insisted on thinking of her as Gou. And so did Nagisa, which was why they had spent most of the time bickering and Makoto had given up on trying to mediate. Relief was only found when he had told Nagisa he could go ahead to Haruka's, and that he would catch up. Gou seemed okay with being asked to wait, and was looking up at him expectantly.

He smiled, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Do you think you could give me Rin's number? If it's not too much trouble."

Her eyes widened, and her hands fumbled with her bag. "Of course! He might not answer but… maybe you'll have a better chance than me."

She was still small, as small as Nagisa actually, and still wore her hair in a ponytail. He looked at it for a moment, and marveled at how long it had gotten. Now that he had placed a name to the face, he could remember the much tinier ponytail he had spotted back in middle school. Maybe she had never cut it; her hair probably reached the middle of her back by now.

_It must be heavy._

Her phone was pink, which didn't surprise him in the least. "You used to have a dress that color, didn't you?"

"Ah, well," she hesitated, and Makoto regretted that he had spoken without thinking. She looked uncomfortable. "You remember that kind of stuff?"

He laughed, desperately hoping he could backpedal. "Well, maybe I'm remembering wrong. We didn't see each other that often."

She nodded, and he was grateful that they could focus on their phones instead of each other. Her voice didn't sound different when she recited Rin's number.

He smiled, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "Thank you. I hope he answers."

She sighed, clutching her phone in her hand. "So do I."

The waves below crashed against the rocks, and they both glanced over though neither of them could see the rocks below. He wasn't sure how to best end the meeting; it seemed like it would be too abrupt to just say goodbye and walk away, especially after he had made their conversation so awkward.

"About before—"

"No! I mean, it's okay! You're right, I did have a dress that color. I just didn't realize… because we didn't see each other often…" she trailed off and he didn't know what else to do but nod. Then she smiled and met his eyes. "Is it okay if I ask for your number too?" 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it isn't obvious, italicized text in quotes is a text message. Since the character for Gou's name can be read as Gou or Kou, when Makoto writes to her I use Gou.

5.

_"No luck today."_

Makoto frowned at his phone. The message was straight to the point, not even an emoji  was tacked on. Gou hadn’t spoken to Rin, even though she had visited his school. He tried to imagine how he might feel if his own siblings became estranged, or how they would feel if he suddenly cut ties… he imagined that it actually felt much worse than what he could think of.

_"Are you alright?"_

_"Yes! Thank you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow! Good night, Makoto."_

He was still frowning, but there was nothing else he could do.  _"Good night, Gou."_


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Gou messaged him more often since becoming the manager of the swim club. She insisted that the manager and the captain needed to have a good relationship so the club could be a success.

_"I found something great today! I can’t wait to show you all tomorrow."_

_"Eh? Why not tell me now? I’m the captain, after all."_

_"Surprises are better in person!"_

They had a few exchanges like this, and each time Gou proved to be a very adept manager. Though, there always seemed to be a new obstacle that appeared with each of her ideas, they were unavoidable, and didn’t stop him from admiring the work she was putting into the club.

"You know, Kou, I’m starting to think that it’s tougher being the manager than the captain," he laughed. She stared up at him for a moment, and he wondered if he had spoken too frankly when she began to blush.

"That’s not true! It’s not tough at all!" She had clenched her fists and raised her voice, but almost immediately shrunk back a bit and looked away. "I mean… it doesn’t feel like work to me, because I want to do it. Anyway, it’s the manager’s job to support the captain, right?"

"Well, that’s..," he hesitated, raising one of his hands to his mouth and looking down, "Captains can support the managers, too."

"I-is that so?" She smiled, tilting her head down. "Then, please continue to support me from now on, Makoto."

_Ah, geeze… my face is hot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, in case it isn't obvious by now, italicized text with no quotes are always Makoto's thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

_"Nagisa is doing his best to convince Ryugazaki to join the team, isn’t he? Do you really think it will be alright? What if he chases him off?"_

_"Hm. That’s a definite possibility."_

_"Makoto! You’re supposed to say it will be fine! Now I’m worried. How can I focus on my homework like this?"_

_"So you’re avoiding your homework, Gou? (laughs)"_

_"Don’t misunderstand! I’m a good student, you know. Just… I was worried about our joint practice, so this math problem became more difficult… if you had just said it would be okay, I could do it!"_

_"Do you need help?"_

_"Rin was always good at math, but… well, you already know. (laughs)"_

_"Well, Rin was definitely better at math than I was. But, it’s first year math, so it should be okay."_

_"Eh? Really? Is it really okay?"_

_"Of course. You’re working hard as the manager, and it’s causing you trouble. The captain and manager have to take care of each other right? I can do this much."_

_"I owe you!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose not to use emoji or chat speak in the story even though they text a lot. Gou canonically uses emoji, but it seems like she doesn't use chat speak, so you can assume that a lot of her texts have all kinds of faces. Some of the translators I follow often translate casual blog entries, and instead of directly translating to lol they use (laughs), so I chose to do the same.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

"Makoto! Hold on!"

He slowed his steps, glancing around as he moved off to the side of the crowded school hallway. It had sounded like Gou, but he couldn’t really be sure with all the noise; plus, he had seen a few girls stop and look as well.

_That’s still kinda embarrassing…_

Finally he spotted red hair, and soon Gou was inching her way through the crowd, apologizing and holding a notebook to her chest. She sheepishly looked at the girls that had stopped. “T-tachibana, I mean. Sorry. Excuse me.”

When she finally raised her head towards him, he waved and smiled. “Good morning, Kou.”

"Good morning, Makoto! I have something to show you today," she grinned, tapping her notebook.

"You didn’t tell me about a surprise."

"I can’t tell you all the time, you know. Anyway, it’s nothing like that," she turned her notebook towards him, "it’s the math you helped me with the other day! You were totally right about everything, I didn’t have to make any corrections."

He laughed, taking the notebook from her. “That’s great! It looks like you did pretty well on the other ones.” She looked pleased when he held the notebook out for her to take back. “You have very neat handwriting, too.”

"Thanks." She laughed, her hands brushing against his. He watched her put the notebook back into her bag and then she paused. "Actually, I did have a small surprise that needs your input, as the captain."

He raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to look at her bag. He couldn’t see inside of it, but given her past surprises and how nothing seemed out of place, he had a feeling that this surprise involved paper. “Sure, what is it?”

She slipped the expected paper out of her bag, but her hand hesitated, and her eyes glanced over the paper for a moment before she finally handed it to him. He immediately knew the handwriting wasn’t hers, and he glanced over the edge of the paper to find her waiting quietly for his reaction.

"Kou?"

"Will everyone be able to do this? I know it’s been awhile since you swam competitively, and Rei…" she trailed off with a sigh, putting a hand on her hip. "I really wasn’t expecting that at all."

His gaze trailed over the paper again, and he slowly nodded. “It should be fine, but you knew that already, didn’t you?” She only laughed nervously as she took the paper back from him. “Did Rin give—?”

She shook her head, and he let the question drop. She met his eyes and grinned. “Well, captain, do you approve?”

"Of course."


	9. Chapter 9

9.

_"As captain, I have a suggestion."_

_"As manager, I will consider your suggestion."_

_"Even if Rei could swim, that training regimen was a little too tough. Maybe we should consider adjusting it."_

_"Hm… I guess all of those muscles are deceiving. Even guys like you can be out of shape…"_

_"Hold on, what do you mean?!"_

_"Don’t worry, the manager has everything under control!"_

_"I just meant it would be too tough for Rei, you know!"_

_"But it’s been a while since you all swam competitively, right? By the way, that picture you sent me… is it your cat?"_

_"No, but I do play with it."_

_"It’s so cute! Send me another next time, okay?!"_

Makoto looked at his phone, listening to his siblings bicker in another room.  _Her topic change was pretty skillful._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't convince me that Makoto doesn't sometimes take pictures of the stray cats.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

Gou revised the entire regimen by herself. She had scheduled everything down to the day and hour, and she laid down Rei’s deadline with an intensity that was a little terrifying, even though Rei was the one being scolded. He was impressed, but also a little disappointed they wouldn’t be deciding on uniforms.

Though she didn’t really have much to do, and neither did Miss Amakata, really, she stood at the side of the pool to watch them practice, and do their best to teach Rei how to swim. Quite a few times he saw her sidle up to Haruka and have short conversations with him, but other than that she remained at the edge of the pool, gazing out at the water.

She seemed listless.

He watched her as he toweled off his hair after practice, a little slower than necessary so he had an excuse to hang back. Normally she had no reason to wait, so when it seemed she was going to head off, he approached her, holding the towel against the side of his face.

"Kou, thanks for your hard work." 

She hunched her shoulders, stopping and looking up at him. For a moment she was speechless, and her eyes darted between his arms and his face. “Th-thank—thanks for your hard work. You really did well today.”

He smiled, letting the towel hang around his neck and putting his hands on his hips. “You did a good job with that regimen. That didn’t take you too long, did it?” 

She shook her head, loosely crossing her arms. “Not at all! I was able to finish it and all of my homework no problem.”

"Even though we can use the pool now, I still haven’t done as much work as you," he mused, tilting his head. "If you’re feeling worn down, you should let me know—"

"I’m okay, really!"

"—I could get you ice cream or something to cheer you up."

Gou hesitated, then uncrossed her arms and pressed her fingers together. He tried not to laugh when she batted her eyelashes. “Well, now that you mention it I did stay up a little later than usual to get everything done, and I feel pretty bad for yelling at Rei. Plus, now we need uniforms—” 


	11. Chapter 11

11.

_"Let’s give a name to the cat. It already seems like it’s yours, anyway."_

_"Shouldn’t I name the cat alone then?"_

_"But I see the cat in all your pictures so I kinda feel like it’s mine, too!"_

_"Hm, well… it’s white. Yuki makes sense, right?"_

_"It makes sense but…"_

_"It’s underwhelming huh?"_

_"Some people name their pets after foods they like."_

_"I don’t know if it would appreciate being called curry. (laughs)"_

_"Here curry, curry~ Geeze, Makoto. (laughs)"_

He covered his face even though she wasn’t there, and it took him a few moments to stop feeling embarrassed and reply.  _"Well what would it be if you had to name it like that?"_

_"Katsu!"_

_"I don’t think that’s any better! (laughs)"_

_"Yeah, they’re both pretty bad names for a cat. Maybe it should involve water. It’s a cat that lives in a seaside town, after all."_

_"Maybe… hm. Well, maybe if we stop thinking too hard, it will come to us."_

_"That’s easy going advice, isn’t it? Well, you might be right. You know, do you still think that we’ll be able to teach Rei how to swim? I thought for sure Haruka would be able to…"_

_"He’s really determined, so I think it will be okay as long as he still wants to try. I’ve been looking at uniforms, too."_

_"Me too! A lot of them are so expensive. You don’t really want Iwatobi-chan on them, do you? (laughs)"_

_"Well he is the mascot, right?"_

_"Yeah. That can’t be helped. But it doesn’t make us seem very tough! Especially not when compared to a shark. But, I can’t think of anything tougher than a shark either."_

_"Maybe a cannon."_

_"Eh? Like on a ship? (laughs). Oh! Maybe we should name the cat Sailor!"_

Makoto smiled, looking at the screen and pressing his fist against his chin, so he could lean on his desk. He glanced out his window, but he couldn’t see the ocean from it.  _"That’s a good name."_

_"Please send me pictures of Sailor tomorrow, too!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sailor was originally going to be written as Sera, but I was worried people would pronounce it as Sarah. Sera is the name of the cat of Sayumi Michishige's sister, and the name is often translated directly to Sailor.
> 
> Katsu is a reference to tonkatsu, fried pork. So basically Gou likes anything "katsu". It also is a homophone for the verb "to win", so it's a modern tradition for students to eat a Katsudon before a major test or other big event, which is why Makoto says it's the thing to eat before a big race.
> 
> (Also I thought it was funny because katsu>kats>cats even if it's not pronounced that way)


	12. Chapter 12

12.

Practice ran later than usual, not that anyone minded. Rei could swim, but he could still only swim butterfly, and so Makoto adjusted the regimen on the spot and guided his training; they had all become so focused on preparing for the tournament that they lost track of time.

Gou remained by the side of the pool, only moving to sit down, or stand up again and stretch. She was probably very aware of the time, but she didn’t rush them out of the pool. By the time they realized they couldn’t stay any longer, she was leaning against the fence, her fingers loosely gripping at the chain link. With a small smile he tugged at the towel around his neck and joined her. 

"You were right, huh?" She was looking at the water with a smile, and didn’t seem to mind that the fence shook when he put his hand against it. "It all turned out okay. We can go to the tournament."

He nodded, looking out at the water with her; with the sun starting to set, the whole pool had turned into a mirror, reflecting back the trees and the pink sky. “He had a lot of support. I think even your deadline helped him.”

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “Well maybe I was still a little too harsh. But, from here on out it’s your job to stay on top of everyone! You all have to train hard! You’ll also need a whistle.”

"I think we’ll be okay without a whistle. That’s usually something for bigger teams, right? Like Samezuka." He rubbed the back of his head, feeling very small when faced with that much intensity from someone nearly a foot shorter than him.

"A whistle promotes unity the same way a uniform does," she reasoned.

He chuckled. “I’ll look into it. Though, about the uniforms.”

"They should be in soon. I think the blue and white design was definitely the best. You’ll look really great in it, Makoto."

His eyebrows rose higher than he had thought possible, and her hands went to her face immediately after she realized what she had said. The silence between them was awkward, and Makoto raised one of his hands to his mouth as Gou struggled on.

"S-since the colors remind me of Sailor, and I like Sailor so much, I mean. Plus, since it’s your cat it’s fitting, so—ah, geeze what am I even saying?" She shrunk to the ground, her hands pressed tightly over her face.

"Kou, do you," he hesitated, looking out at the water again, "do you want to go see Sailor? If you have time to walk with me, we could go see her."

 There was no answer, and he couldn’t bring himself to look down at her to judge what her reaction was.

_Maybe I just made it worse. It wasn’t like she really meant to talk about Sailor._

"O-okay. Hurry and get changed." She jumped to her feet, and though she rushed past him he could see that her face was still red. Judging from how hot his skin felt under his hand, he was no better. 


	13. Chapter 13

13.

_"Makoto, what about the pictures that you took? Can I see them?"_

He stared at the message, trying to come out of the haze of homework.  _Pictures? Oh, right._

When they had gone to see Sailor, Gou had insisted on getting pictures with the cat. He had taken quite a lot of pictures using her phone, but he had also taken quick pictures with all three of them on his phone. Unfortunately he had taken them right before he had to run with her to the train station so she could make it home on time, so he hadn’t been able to show her, or really look at them himself.

_"Here! This one turned out pretty cute."_

He glanced at his phone quite a few times while he was doing his homework, waiting for her to reply. If he had picked a picture she thought was bad…

_"Thanks! Here!"_

_"You added hearts to it?"_

_"Don’t make it sound so embarrassing! I just really love Sailor!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many phone apps where you can add stuff to pictures, but at the time I was writing this story I forgot that their phones probably can't have apps at all, so in Incalescent they all have smart phones.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

Makoto had wanted to talk to Gou when they were walking back to the beach, but she walked quickly at the front of the group and talked loudly with Nagisa about all the things they could do on the beach and not a pool, so he didn’t really get a chance. He would rather be in a pool, and that was definitely no secret to Haruka, who had side-eyed him most of the walk back.

"This is going to be pretty fun, huh?" He smiled, and though it felt thin and strained, Haruka slowly looked away. It wasn’t really a lie or wishful thinking. They had always had fun on the beach, but Haruka had really been the only one to go in the water.

He wouldn’t be a very good captain if he just waited on the sand. But, he could stall and keep everyone on the sand with him. Even if he had been desperate to get into the water like Haruka was, he would have insisted they pitch the tents first.

"We’ll probably be too tired if we do it after we swim, and we won’t know how late it will be once we’re done."

"But it doesn’t sound very fun," Nagisa muttered.

"Fun or not, it’s necessary," Rei countered.

Makoto put a hand on his hip, regarding Nagisa with an amused look. “Right, consider it a fun team building exercise.”

Gou watched, as usual, staying particularly close to the tent he was working with. She crouched down next to him when she had the chance, and smiled when he stopped to look at her. “Thanks for doing all of this. You really took charge, like a real captain.”

"Well, I still don’t have a whistle." They laughed together, ducked behind the tent and trying to be quiet. "So you really didn’t know?"

Gou hesitated then looked down at her knees with a sigh. “I really didn’t. I was treating this like a secret training camp, so I didn’t want to tell anyone from Samezuka. When I told my mom about it, she didn’t mention that Rin was doing something similar for school.”

Makoto frowned, watching her drag her fingers through the sand. “Gou—” He stopped when her head dipped close to her knees, and cautiously put a hand on her back.  She glanced up at him and smiled, and Makoto forgot to pull his hand away, or that he was supposed to be pitching a tent, until he realized Haruka was crouched down on the other side of her.

"Haru?" He jerked his hand back, and Gou had turned bright red. "When did you…?"

He looked at them calmly, as if nothing was odd about him suddenly appearing beside them. “The tent is up. We should get ready to swim.”  

Makoto and Gou both nodded, watching as Haruka stood up and turned away from them. “R-right.”


	15. Chapter 15

15.

"Pizza isn’t exactly barbeque, but it’s still really good."

"You talk to yourself when you eat, Gou?"

Makoto hadn’t meant to be overheard, but Nagisa seemed to have a knack for hearing everything. “Gou talks to herself?”

"No! Of course not!" Her head jerked up, her cheeks turning red. Nagisa seemed disappointed, and quickly turned his attention back to convincing Rei that they should try to stay on a deserted island at least once before they leave. Gou sighed, then turned and scowled at Makoto. "I was talking to you."

"Really?" He held up his hands when her eyes narrowed. "It’s not that I wasn’t paying attention to you—" He wasn’t sure it was safe for her to narrow her eyes that much. "I was just—I’m sorry."

"What’s this? You two look like a bickering couple."

Makoto straightened, looking at their smiling teacher while she carefully folded her hands under her chin. He wanted to protest, but quickly covered his mouth with his hand to try to hide his embarrassment. Gou put her hands on the table, half rising as if she wanted to run; instead she leaned over the table and frantically shook her head.

"No?" She frowned when they both shook their heads. "Well what does Haruka think?"

Haruka glanced up from his pizza, slowly looking between all of them. His eyes eventually stopped on Makoto, and they looked at each other until Haruka sighed, small and barely noticeable. “I think Kou likes the pizza.”

"I-Is that all? Really?"

"Yes."

Gou settled back down into her seat and grumbling about what a stressful dinner this had turned out to be. Makoto gave Haruka a grateful smile, but Haruka was quick to look away. When the others had finished eating the three of them lingered, and Makoto dipped his head to look them. “I caused trouble for both of you. I’m sorry.”

Gou shook her head, her hair flicking against his arm and back. “Don’t worry.”

Haruka was looking out at the water, but he finally glanced his way. “So are you dating?”

"N-no!"

"Of course not!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if Haruka ever said Gou's name after the first time they meet up again, but he remembered her as Kou without being introduced first. So, for nowm I headcanon that Haruka is the only one that continues to call her Kou even though she's okay with them calling her Gou.


	16. Chapter 16

16.

Somehow it had been mutually decided that the four of them would never speak a word of what had happened that night to Gou or Miss Amakata. Since no one had been hurt, and Rei would likely get scolded all over again, he and Nagisa surely didn’t think there was any reason to bring it up. Makoto and Haruka didn’t want to get into trouble either, but they had a different reason for not telling Gou.

She was looking down at him, arms crossed. “Were you just trying to get an early start on training or something?”

Makoto smiled, his fingers digging into the sand. “Something like that.”

"Looks like you didn’t get too far." She sat down in the sand next to him, bringing her knees to her chest.

"We swam there and back." He pointed out to the island they had spent the night on. Gou shielded her eyes with her hand, looking out across the water. He looked at her curiously when she leaned sideways with a sigh, but when she noticed him she smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I know we all grew up by the ocean, but it’s different when you’re looking at it from an island, isn’t it?" She frowned, putting her hands on her knees. "You’re enjoying it, right?"

"Something’s bothering you." The observation isn’t really necessary, or surprising. Gou purses her lips slightly, moving so her legs are folded beneath her.

"Were you really okay with this trip, Makoto?"

He laughed, his eyes darting across the sand. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be?”

"I talked to Rin yesterday." She turned to look at him, her brow furrowed. "He was surprised you agreed to this. He sounded worried."

It wouldn’t have mattered if Rin himself had stood on the beach and plainly admitted he was worried, he still would have stared and shook his head and yelled in disbelief. Gou jumped, and Haruka turned to look at them before continuing to wade out into the water.

"Sorry, I just—I really wasn’t expecting that." He rubbed the back of his neck and Gou shook her head.

"I know he’s been acting… well, like a jerk, but he really does still care about all of you." She threaded her fingers together, stretching her arms out in front of her. "Um, but, he didn’t say why he was worried, so I thought I should just ask if I forced you into this."

He chuckled and shook his head. “Rin didn’t have to worry. I have no problems with this training camp at all.”

Her shoulders slumped but she smiled up at him. “Then work hard, because you’re in charge today!”

"Eh?! Why, where are you going?"

"It’s a secret!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's gonna go take notes on boys that aren't Makoto.


	17. Chapter 17

17.

_"Makoto, it’s really lonely now that the training camp is over, isn’t it?"_

_"You think so?"_

_"Yeah… lately, I prefer the days that the swim club has practice. I got used to how noisy it is."_

Makoto frowned, resting his chin on his hand and looking at Gou’s message. “Haru. Do you feel lonely?”

Haruka frowned as well, tapping his fingers against the game controller. He was waiting patiently for Makoto to start the game again. “I’m at your house.”

He chuckled. “Of course you don’t prefer when it’s noisy.”

Haruka glanced down at his phone, the slowly looked back up at the TV. Makoto sighed, tilting his head to look at his friend. “Gou… she must be home alone a lot.”  

"Probably."

"Is that really all you have to say about it?"

"You don’t need me to say anything," he reasoned. "You feel bad, so you’re going to invite her over."

"I thought I was the one that read minds here."

He tapped the controller again, sighing. “You did the same thing with Nagisa.”

"In elementary school you mean?" he paused, looking up at the ceiling. He  _had_ felt bad when it seemed like Haruka was ignoring Nagisa, but rather than inviting him over he had just tried to make him feel better.

_"Gou, if you want, you can play video games with me and Haru at my house._

_Gou?”_

_"Sorry! I was just really surprised. If it’s okay, I’d like to come over. Today, right?"_

_"Yeah, today."_

Haruka didn’t look at him when he put his phone down and picked up the controller, but he did speak up when he went to unpause it. “Don’t we need a three player game now?”

"W-well she’s not here yet, so it’s fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked to think they play Mario Party and Gou shows no mercy, but then I remembered that multiplayer Nintendo games destroy friendships.


	18. Chapter 18

18.

"Hey, is Gou ever going to visit again?"

"Yeah, is she?"

Makoto nearly choked on his breakfast, and made a very concentrated effort not to meet the eyes of his parents. Or Ren and Ran, who were looking up at him expectantly. “It’s only been two days.”

"But Haruka visits all the time," Ran said. Ren nodded in agreement.

Makoto laughed. “But Gou doesn’t live up the steps. She has to take the train to get here.”

"There’s still plenty of time left in your summer break, I’m sure Gou will visit again." Their mother was quick to speak up before the twins could continue pestering him. "Now hurry up so you can help me with the shopping today."


	19. Chapter 19

19.

_"Ren and Ran keep asking about you."_

_"Really?! That’s so cute! I want to see them again!"_

_"We’ll have to pick a day, then. They’ll be really excited (laughs)"_

_"You make it sound like a play date."_

_"Eh? I didn’t mean it that way."_

_"I want to see you, too, you know._

_Just that, it was fun playing video games with you and Haruka, so, it’s not that I only want to spend time with Ren and Ran._

_Not that it’s not fun being around them, I like them a lot. Just don’t think of me as a kid, okay?”_

Makoto stared at his cellphone, glad that the twins were gone, and that his dad was busy reading. He had definitely taken too long to reply after her first message, and his heart beat had gotten louder with each one. He couldn’t think of what to write.

He decided that maybe it would be better just to call her, and he didn’t think about what a horrible leap in logic that was until she picked up the phone. “Gou. Um. Sorry. I really didn’t mean it like that. I don’t think you’re a kid.”

"Oh. I-it’s okay I don’t even know what I was saying. Don’t worry."

"We can still hang out together soon, right?"

"Yes! I mean—yeah, it should be okay. Maybe one of these days we should try to get the whole club together again."

"Yeah."

"Maybe I can come over tomorrow? I mean, I know I’m not doing anything tomorrow."

He looked up at his dad, and he gave him an amused look, watching him for a few moments. “Aren’t you still on the phone?”

"Ah! Right, tomorrow should be okay?" He glanced up again and his dad nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow."  

His dad waited for him to set his phone down on the table, and carefully set down his newspaper. “You’re sure you’re not dating?”

"Dad!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of misunderstandings can happen through text messages. Follow Makoto's lead and just call them instead.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

Rei adjusted his glasses, watching Makoto shift the clipboard from one hand to the other. Nagisa’s head tilted and he folded his hands behind his back. Haruka’s face, for once, was impossible for him to read. It wasn’t often that Makoto had to speak as a captain, and certainly being under the team’s scrutiny wasn’t helping, but he knew what they were thinking.

He cleared his throat. “Gou won’t be at practice today. She left school early.”

Nagisa raised his eyebrows. “Gou’s never left early before!”

"It’s not even the second term, you can’t base her usual attendance on the spring alone," Rei said.

Makoto tapped his fingers on the clipboard and smiled. “She’s been worried that she was catching a cold. I guess she was right.”

Nagisa and Rei both frowned.

"I didn’t know she was worried about something like that," Nagisa said.

"I didn’t know either."

"Makoto! How do you have this inside information?"

He stopped tapping his fingers and stared down at Nagisa. “I-inside information? Well, I’m the captain so it makes sense she’d warn me that I might need to take care of things without her one day.”

"I knew," Haruka said. Makoto’s eyes widened, and he tried to shake his head as subtly as possible when Nagisa and Rei turned to him instead.

"Are we not allowed to know because we’re first years?"

Haruka shook his head. “She complained about it when she was at Makoto’s.”

The clipboard clattered to the floor. “Haru!”

Nagisa ran up to Makoto, escaping Rei’s attempt to stop him, and grabbed his arms. “Why weren’t we invited, too? Huh, Makoto? Do you not like me anymore?”

"Well—"

"I really don’t think this is any of our business, Nagisa!"

He turned to look at Rei, and his eyes widened. “Oh! You think it’s, you know,” he paused and dropped his voice to an obvious whisper, “private meetings?”

"It’s not like that!"

"If Makoto catches a cold, too, that’s definitely what’s going on! He already looks feverish!"

He shook his head, knowing that the real cause was a very furious blush. Rei didn’t seem to know how to get Nagisa to stop, or maybe he was suspicious himself, and his only other hope had started to walk out the door. “Haru, don’t leave, you’re the one that started all of this! Swimming can wait!”

He paused only a moment to look back at him, glancing at Nagisa and Rei, who were talking loudly about whether it was rude to pry into Makoto’s life. Finally he looked back up at Makoto. “Maybe you should just get it over with.”

"Haru! Get what over with? Wait!"


	21. Chapter 21

21.

_"Why is Nagisa asking what a private meeting is like?"_

_"There may have been a misunderstanding at practice today."_

_"Eh—!! Makoto!! Please tell me he isn’t spreading this around! I don’t want my classmates to think that way of me._

_What if Rin hears about it?”_

_"If Rin hears about it I may have to live on one of those deserted islands."_

_"Don’t talk like that it makes it sound like the whole school already knows. And if that’s the case, I’ll have to go to the deserted island, too!"_

_"I don’t think running away to a deserted island together would help any rumors."_

_"But I’d be lonely if you didn’t go with me._

_"Gou…"_

_"Please delete that immediately."_

_"You’re going to make me have a heart attack at this rate."_

_"Well, dying is one way to avoid this, but let’s not get desperate…"_


	22. Chapter 22

22.

Gou returned after missing an entire day of school; she was a bit bleary eyed and had a pink flu mask tugged down around her chin; she smiled when they all stood together in the clubhouse and Makoto didn’t seem to be the only one that was relieved to find her in charge of the clipboard again.

"Makoto told me that everyone really improved at the last practice, so let’s keep that going okay?"

"Is your throat still sore, Gou?" Nagisa frowned, putting a hand on his chin. She nodded, and Nagisa nodded as well. "That explains why your voice is so deep today."

Gou flushed immediately, waving her clip board. “Hurry up and get in the pool! Stop wasting time!”

He normally would have run out of the clubhouse first, but this time he stayed behind. She hesitated, raising her eyebrows.  His chest rose as he took a deep breath, but whatever he had been intending to say escaped with his long sigh. Gou turned the clipboard in her hands, eyebrows drawing together.

"There aren’t rumors I don’t know about, are there?"

He shook his head, eyes widening. “No, nothing like that! Just… your voice doesn’t sound that deep. I mean it’s kind of husky but you still sound like a girl.”

She squinted at him, before her gaze slowly drifted to the side. “Husky?”

"I think it’s attractive." Their eyes widened at the same time, and Makoto took a step back when she started to blush. He nodded awkwardly even though it was clearly not the right way to end the conversation, and ran out of the clubhouse. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently it's considered polite to wear a flu mask if you aren't feeling well but still have to go to a public place.


	23. Chapter 23

23.

_"I know that it’s kind of short notice, but do you want to do something this Sunday?"_

_"Do Ren and Ran want to see me again? (laughs)"_

_"I’m sure they’d be happy if you came over. (laughs)_

_That’s not why I’m asking though. I just wanted to know if you wanted to meet up somewhere.”_

_"Oh, like another club thing?"_

_"Not exactly."_

_"Okay. I’m a little confused. What did you want to do?"_

_"I don’t know. Sorry, I didn’t really think it through before I asked. (laughs)"_

_"Well, I had wanted to go with Chigusa to a haunted house but she can’t go. We can do that! I really want to go to one before they close for the summer."_

_"A haunted house?"_

_"Yeah! There’s a really good one that isn’t too far away."_

_"Okay. We can go. I’m sure it will be fun."_

"Brother looks like he’s going to cry."

"You’re right, Ran. What’s wrong brother? Why are you crying?"

"I’m not crying! It’s fine!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haunted house season in Japan is during the summer. I don't know when exactly they end, and at the time of writing this I wasn't exactly sure on what day the training camp ended (I found out much later after listening to the Drama CD that the last day was Haruka's birthday which I'm pretty sure is the end of June), so the time line might be a bit off.


	24. Chapter 24

24.

"W-wait! I don’t want to go first! You go first!" Gou looked back at him, stubbornly holding onto the door frame. They had been bickering like this since they had stepped into the haunted house, and they still had a long way to go; they had only been inside for about twenty minutes, and it was a fifty minute walk.

Makoto shook his head, closing his eyes and taking a step back. “It’s really dark down there.”

"But you’re the one holding the flashlight!"

"I don’t need to be in front to use it. I just have to hold it over your head."

"If I’m really that small then there’s no point in me being in front. I can’t protect you from anything."

"S-sure you can. I believe in you."

"That really doesn’t have anything to do with it…" she looked up at him, eyes wide even though she was completely exasperated. He stared back, the flashlight unsteady in his hands even though he was holding it so tight his fingernails were digging into his palm. He didn’t want her to come away with a bad impression of him, but his heart had been beating wildly since they had been waiting in line to get inside.

But the sooner they walked into the hallway, the sooner they could get back outside. He nodded, taking a step forward. Somewhere behind him a door slammed open. Makoto had no intention of looking, or waiting, to see what had made the noise. He had every intention of running.

He didn’t want to push Gou out of the doorway, so he lifted her up in his arms instead, and sprinted down the hallway while she screamed and laughed. “W-wait! Makoto! Nothing’s chasing us!”

He slowed, looking behind him and panting. “Ah… what was it?”

"Maybe it went back into its room." She peered over his shoulder, a hand on his neck. "I don’t see anyth—agh!"

A door was flung open to his right. A blood soaked woman stumbled out at them, wailing, and they both screamed loudly. Gou was yelling at him to run even as he side stepped the woman and sped away. He stopped by a closed off stairwell, gasping for breath.

Gou was laughing, but he could feel her shaking rather badly. “I think I’ll just stay up here, if that’s okay.”

He laughed slightly, leaning against the wall. “I guess it’s a good compromise. No one has to walk into a room first. I’m not a very good runner though.”

"Better than me," she giggled, tightening her grip around his neck.

"You’re in charge of the flashlight then." He moved his hand slightly, the flashlight lighting up the ceiling. She nodded, taking it and turning her body slightly so she could see where they were going. She looped her arm back around his neck so the path ahead of him was lit, her free hand lingering near his collarbone and her legs tight around his waist.

Somehow, despite the fact that he was absolutely terrified, he still managed to blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The haunted house is loosely based on a famous one somewhere around Mt. Fuji. It has a haunted hospital theme and is one of the largest haunted houses in the world. Apparently they also give visitors flashlights.


	25. Chapter 25

25.

Makoto couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but something was off about Gou, and it wasn’t exactly We’re-Really-At-Prefecturals jitters. Her smile seemed different, but he was sure he had seen her with that expression before. It might have been easier to pinpoint if he hadn’t been spending so much time with Gou, because now there were even more moments for him to sift through and remember.

"Makoto, you remember the order of all the events, right?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I remember." He chuckled, putting a hand on her arm while she put a hand over her face. "Don’t worry. I’ve been in a lot of swim meets, you know that."

She narrowed her eyes. “I know it’s been a few years.”

"It’s fine! Mako has a really good memory!" Nagisa appeared at his side, gripping his arm. "He can remember everyone’s birthday, and what they like to eat and—"

"What clothes they’ve worn." Makoto smiled.

Gou looked up at the sky, hiding half of her face behind her notebook. “That doesn’t have anything to do with a swim meet.”

"Ah, well, I’m sure we can depend on Rei to remember the order for everyone," Nagisa reasoned.

Rei looked up at the mention of his name, and nodded. “Of course. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Gou nodded but didn’t seem entirely convinced. When Rei and Nagisa had sat down on the bleachers, Makoto remained standing next to Gou, leaning against the railing and looking out at the pool. Her enthusiasm for admiring muscles had waned since Haruka had left.

He sighed, leaning down and looking at her. “It’s pretty nerve wracking waiting for their race to start.”  

She frowned, pressing her notebook against her lips. He wanted to reach out and put a hand on her back like he had before, but he settled for catching her eye and smiling. She giggled, lowering the notebook with a sigh. “It’s not exactly how I pictured it… and I might be putting too much on this one race but—”

"I know. You can’t help it." He chuckled, tapping his fingers on the railing, inching his way across until he lightly tapped her arm. "I feel the same way. I hope it all goes well for Rin and Haru, and for you as well, Gou."

A blush spread across her cheeks as she tapped his arm in return. “Thanks.”


	26. Chapter 26

26.

"Can I sit here?"

"Of course." He glanced up as Gou carefully sat down next to him, looking out at Haruka’s yard. It was already dark, and though Rei and Nagisa had reluctantly headed home, Gou had stubbornly stayed behind.

After she had admitted to signing them up for the relay he had realized her smile had looked different because she had been keeping a rather big secret to herself. But there was no smile on her face as she brushed her toes against the grass.

"When you went to look for Haruka… what happened?"

He frowned, sitting up from the door he had been leaning against. It almost hadn’t crossed his mind that Gou hadn’t run after them until they were face to face with Rin, and at that point he had been glad she wasn’t there. He didn’t know if Gou was aware of how extremely her brother had changed, and he was hesitant to tell her.

But she didn’t deserve to be left in the dark either. “We ran into Rin.”

Her eyes widened as she turned to him, leaning towards him. “Really? What did he say?”

"He… didn’t know where Haru was. He was surprised he was taking the loss so badly." His smile was careful, and he glanced out across the yard. "We didn’t talk long. I decided it was best to give Haru space and we had our own races to worry about."

"Did he seem even a little like himself?"

His eyes darted from her frown, to her slumped shoulders, to her hands folded in her lap. “I’m sorry, Gou. I know how much you were hoping this would work.”

"But if you make it to regionals there’s still a chance!" she clenched her fists, striking her usual fighting pose. He didn’t realize that he had taken too long to respond until he noticed that she was starting to tear up. "Right?"

He faltered, unable to think of anything he could say that would make the situation any better. But he thought of his own siblings, and turned and opened his arms. Her eyes widened but she laughed before he could regret his decision, and slid closer, wrapping her arms around him.

It wasn’t quite the same as when he comforted Ren or Ran—he certainly wasn’t feeling bold enough to kiss the top of her head—but it didn’t feel as strange as he had expected it to. His arms enveloped her easily, without any awkward fumbling and attempts to get comfortable.

"You’re like a teddy bear."

Gou’s sudden outburst made him laugh and hold her even tighter. “You too.”

"No way! Don’t say embarrassing things!"

"You said it first!" 


	27. Chapter 27

27.

Makoto had called Nagisa very early the next morning, maybe earlier than what would even be considered polite; it had been rough going to bed with such good news, and his first thought upon opening his eyes had been to tell everyone, and Nagisa was certainly the safest for him to wake up without causing any troubles.

Nagisa had barely been able to speak proper Japanese when he had first answered, but as expected the good news had perked him up immediately, and he had happily volunteered to tell Rei. Which meant Makoto could let the phone chain continue naturally, or he could take matters into his own hands.

"Gou! Haruka is going to swim!"

_That was too loud. I didn’t even let her say hello first._

"That’s great!" She giggled, and Makoto smiled and ducked his head. "I’ll call Miss Amakata right away!"

"W-wait! I mean, wait a second please."

"Hm?"

"I know that we were worried when you told us and—I’m sorry. I’m sorry for doubting your faith in us, and doubting Haruka and our team." He chuckled, hunching his shoulders. "I wasn’t a good captain."

"That’s not true! Makoto, you’re a good captain. I knew that it wasn’t fair to keep it a secret and not give you all a chance to practice, but I was selfish—"

"I don’t think you’re selfish. You’re wonderful, Gou." He bit his lip, glancing at Haruka who was deliberately looking in the opposite direction, but when she giggled he didn’t mind the embarrassment.

"Thank you, Makoto."

Haruka waited until he had gotten off the phone to speak up, looking at Makoto as he blushed and braced himself. “You said all that while she was in her pajamas.”

"You don’t have to point that out."

"You were already thinking about it?"

"Wh—no! That’s not what I meant!"


	28. Chapter 28

28.

"You did it!" Gou ran to meet them after the relay, her eyes bright and her hands clasped together as she laughed. "You were really amazing out there!"

Makoto nearly opened his arms for her, wanting to scoop her up into a hug like they had all shared at the poolside but remembering that he was wet he stopped himself. “Thanks. But it’s because you signed us up that we’re going to regionals.”

"Ah! That’s right, it’s because of Gou’s sneaky tactics that we’re going so far!"

"It wasn’t like that, Nagisa. And don’t come over this way either, your swimsuit is still completely soaked! I don’t have anything to change into."

"But this was our only event. Just one hug is fine, isn’t it?"

"No way!" Gou skillfully slipped out of Nagisa’s reach, her face bright red. "A girl shouldn’t hug a bunch of shirtless guys anyway. Or even one shirtless guy! It’s not proper."

Nagisa laughed. “So Gou’s a good girl, despite all of her talk about muscles.”

She scowled and stomped her foot. “Go get changed!”

Rei and Nagisa turned and ran off immediately, and Haruka absently jogged after them. Though normally Makoto would have been leading the escape, this time he stayed behind. “Is a hug alright after I change?”

The skin from her neck all the way to ears turned red, and her eyes grew wide as she struggled with a reply. “Well, uh. I mean. Um.”

He chuckled, and when it seemed that she didn’t want to give him an answer he blurted out: “Just kidding!” and ran to the locker rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto you are painful to watch.


	29. Chapter 29

29.

"Huh? Our captain really looks depressed. What happened, Mako?"

Rei frowned, clenching his fists and looking at him anxiously. “Did we lose our place?”

"N-nothing like that." He tried to smile as he changed, but it felt as unconvincing as it probably looked. "I just tripped on my way here. It was kinda embarrassing."

Nagisa laughed. “I’m sure no one will remember! We don’t really know anyone here anyway.”

"Gou wouldn’t hold it against you either," Haruka muttered. Makoto used every ounce of his self control to stop himself from groaning and hiding his face.


	30. Chapter 30

30.

Gou had smiled awkwardly at him when they all returned from the locker room, stuck somewhere between confusion and amusement, and then walked away with Nagisa and Rei as they exchanged excited accounts of the relay.

Makoto grabbed Haruka’s shoulders, stopping him in his tracks. “What do I do?”

"Tripping once isn’t that bad."

"I was completely awkward."

Haruka stared up at him, calmly looked away to watch Gou leave, and then looked back. “Did you stop pretending?”

He sighed, giving him an exasperated look. “I’ve told you before that’s not the case.”

"You say that."

"I mean it!"

"So you were too honest?"

Makoto hesitated and dropped his hands. “I only asked for a hug.”

"Did she say no?"

"Well I didn’t exactly give her a chance. I said I was kidding and ran away."

"She won’t know what you want that way."

"I don’t even know what I want."

They stood in silence for a moment, Haruka looking down the hallway and Makoto crossing his arms. Gou and the others were nearly out of sight by then, either giving them space or unaware that they were leaving them behind. When Haruka looked back at him, his expression was stern.

"I think you do." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the drama CD Miss Amakata mentioned that when these two are actually conversing with each other, it's hard to follow because they really just make vague references, so I tried to emulate that.


	31. Chapter 31

31.

_"Gou, are you busy?"_

_"No. Did you need something?"_

_"I just wanted to talk."_

_"I wanted to talk to you, too."_

_"The summer festival is tonight. Maybe we could talk there, since we’re going as a team."_

_"I told Chigusa that I would go with her. I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the plans to go as a team. It’s been a while since Chigusa and I have spent time together, so we planned it right away. We can still meet up for a bit."_

Makoto let his forehead thud against his closet door. He typed out numerous apologies and explanations, some nearly the length of a formal speech, but deleted each one. None of the words were right, and he had quickly exhausted every word he knew and couldn’t think of anymore.

_I just need to apologize. I just… don’t even have time to get dressed, crap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real reason for Makoto's fashion choices at the festival.


	32. Chapter 32

32.

_"Chigusa and I are trying to find you guys. The festival is really crowded. It’s a good thing you’re so tall though!_

_Samezuka’s swim club is here. Have you seen Rin yet? Mikoshiba and Chigusa are helping me look but I can’t find him at all._

_Chigusa and I are waiting for the next train. I’m sorry we didn’t have time to talk. I couldn’t find you guys!”_

_"Please don’t get on the train!"_

_"I’m already on. Should I get back off?"_

_"Yes. Running. Please."_

It was lucky that he had checked his phone as he and Haruka were heading home, and lucky that Gou had even stayed at the festival so late, but it was a blessing when he saw her carefully hurrying up the sidewalk. His steps slowed, so heavy that his teeth clacked together, and Gou put a hand on his back as he bent over and put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

"You didn’t have to run all this way, Makoto. I know how much you hate it."

"No—I already—already kept you waiting. I’m sorry."

"You mean the texts? It’s okay—"

"It’s not." He shook his head, looking up at her and furrowing his brow. "It’s not okay. I’m sorry. Please—can we talk?"

"Are you going to keep apologizing?" Gou frowned when he straightened and nodded. "I’ll forgive if you if you wait with me for the next train."

"R-really?"

She grabbed his wrist, pulling him along to the station. “You can barely breathe, I’m not going to make you apologize. I wasn’t really angry with you anyway just,” she turned her head for a moment, hiding a familiar listless expression, then looked up at him with a smile. “We’re friends, right? So we shouldn’t worry about it anymore.”

"Gou—" his voice withered in his throat when his eyes met hers, expectant and curious and, no, not quite scared. He was the one who felt like his heart would stop and his legs would give out. If he could just pull his wrist out of her grip, slip his fingers between hers, he wouldn’t have to say anything. Or maybe he would have to say even more.

She turned her head, her attention drawn by laughter from a small group of friends. His chance was laid out in front of him, and he should take it, he should, he should, he should, because he can feel her hand pulling away; he screwed his eyes shut, steeling himself, urging himself to just do it, just move his hand.

And then her fingers slipped between his. His eyes flew open, but Gou’s head was still turned, her ears turning pink just like his.

_She beat me to it? She beat me to it._

He chuckled, breathless and relieved, curling his fingers against her hand. “Your hands are small.” She glanced his way and he smiled, lifting his free hand near his mouth. “It’s cute.”

The blush spread from her ears all the way across her cheeks, and she did her best to cover her face with one hand. “That’s only because your hands are so big.” 


	33. Chapter 33

33.

Gou caught him after practice, a frown on her face and eyebrows drawn close. “You didn’t go out to eat more after we left Coach Sasabe’s house, did you?”

Makoto raised his eyebrows, idly scratching his head. “No, we didn’t. Really, only Nagisa has a stomach that big.”

"Well at least the whole team won’t be sick right before regionals. Still, I’m really worried. What could he have eaten?"

He smiled, crossing his arms and looking away. “Actually, if he has a stomach ache I’m not so sure it has anything to do with food.”

She put a hand on her chin, looking down in thought. “Nerves? Actually, I’d be happier if he had just eaten spoiled food. If he lets his nerves get to him, he could have a lot of troubles at the meet.”

It was already getting a bit late, and as Gou quickly told him that she was going to meet up with Chigusa he wondered if he should tell her what he had known about for months, and Haruka had finally shared of his own accord

"Gou, I have something I need to tell you."

"Huh? But you haven’t done anything you need to apologize for," she said. He chuckled, hunching his shoulders as she waved a hand. "I’m only teasing."

"It’s okay. I’ll call you later I don’t want to make you late."

"Are you sure? Well, alright. Don’t forget to lock up everything, okay?"

He nodded and she smiled again, clasped her hands behind her back, then turned and hurried away.

_Maybe I should have kissed her cheek or something, before she beats me to that, too. Wait, we’re not even dating, I can’t just start kissing her! Should we even be holding hands?_

Nagisa’s laughter as he walked into the club room brought him out of his thoughts. “You almost walked right into the door!”

"T-that’s not something to laugh about! What if I broke my nose?"

"No way, you weren’t walking that fast." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that was already written. This is around episode 10 going into 11, so the series is almost finished.


	34. Chapter 34

"Gou! You're here early." Makoto took long strides to the train station, leaving Haruka behind. Gou was with Chigusa, and two other girls that he had never seen before. They discreetly stepped back as he approached, leaving Gou alone. There was a bundle of fabric in her arms, which she was carefully shifting from arm to arm. 

"I have to get here when the train gets here," she laughed. "Why are you here so early?"

"Well, we were both ready so we figured," he trailed off, gesturing to Haruka as he walked up.

His eyes had immediately locked onto the fabric, but they quickly darted to the bag on her shoulder. "Your phone is ringing."

"Oh!" she frowned, tilting her shoulders and trying to slip a hand into her bag and not drop the bundle.

Makoto frowned and held out his hands. "Do you want me to hold that?"

"Ah, no, if you could just—" she turned slightly and tried to shake the bag in his direction. He nodded and fumbled with the zipper, slipping his hand in and trying not to peek inside. "Makoto you're not going to find it just by digging around like that."

"Right, sorry." He frowned and opened the bag. Her phone was lit up next to her planner and some chapstick, but the phone stopped ringing as soon as he had it in his hand. "Ah. I'll check who it was."

"Alright—no wait!"

He raised his eyebrows, but he had already unlocked the phone. Her background was familiar, mostly because it was a picture of him. "This is—"

"One of the pictures she took at the training camp," Haruka observed, leaning over. Makoto awkwardly dropped the phone back into her bag, his face bright red. Gou carefully zipped her bag shut, and Makoto could tell that she was getting ready to retreat back to Chigusa when Haruka spoke up again.

"Makoto's background has hearts on it."

"Hearts?" Gou raised her eyebrows, looking at his blush before smiling. "I guess it's fine then. Nagisa and Rei should be here soon, you two should go wait for your surprise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that among the pictures Gou took at the training camp, there is one picture of Makoto backlit by the sun while he's pretty much flexing his arms and looking off in front of him. It was kind of an unnatural position for him to be standing in, and it seemed like Haruka and Nagisa had walked into frame on accident, so it came across as if she had asked him to pose and he had agreed. 
> 
> Unfortunately this was long after I had written the chapters at the training camp, so I made reference to the picture here. 
> 
> Makoto's background is the picture of him, Gou and Sailor that Gou decorated with hearts. Again, even though they have flip and slide phones in the show, I accidentally pretty much gave them iPhones in early chapters...


	35. Chapter 35

_"This hotel is pretty nice."_

_"Good! I was a little worried since we didn't really have much money to spend. Chigusa and I are making a new banner. I can guarantee Rei won't find it embarrassing."_

_"Well I know Rei appreciated the effort."_

_"You think so? Well it'd be nice if he didn't also find that effort embarrassing."_

_"Can we talk tomorrow?"_

_"Oh, am I keeping you?"_

_"No, I mean, can we talk in person about something important tomorrow?"_

_"I see. Okay. After the race. After you win!"_


	36. Chapter 36

_"Makoto, did you find him? My brother, he’s not in the relay anymore. I don’t know what happened. I’m really worried, I could tell when you were all lined up that something was wrong. Even though Rei said that he wished him luck yesterday…"_

_"We’re looking. Don’t worry. We’ll find him, Gou."_

_"Just get back on time!"_


	37. Chapter 37

She sighed and crossed her arms, her chin lifted and her eyes narrowed. Makoto hunched his shoulders, glancing up and down the empty sidewalk. He had asked to talk in private, but now it seemed that it hadn’t been such a great idea.

"I told you to be on time so we wouldn’t get disqualified. And you came back and got disqualified. We all worked really hard you know." She turned her head and put her hands on her hips. For a long moment she was silent then she giggled. "But I saw my brother’s old self again. So I forgive your irresponsibility, captain."

"R-really?"

"Miss Amakata already said it was okay, didn’t she? I wasn’t really angry." She folded her hands behind her back, leaning forward. "Anyway, the race is over. And you _did_  win, even though you aren’t allowed to go to nationals. What did you want to talk about?”

"About—us. I want to talk about everything plainly." He frowned, clenching his hands for a moment. "Even after everything that’s happened I haven’t been able to clearly say how I feel, and I’m not sure I’ve been able to show it either."

"You have! I mean—now that you’re saying this, I’m sure you have." She looked up at him stubbornly. "It’s not as if I’ve been any better. There’s no rule that I can’t say anything, and I haven’t. I should have said something at the festival."

He chuckled, raising his hand to his mouth for a moment. “That would have been the best place, wouldn’t it?”

"No, I think this is better."

"Gou—" he hesitated, looking at her hands, and she smiled and reached out first, as usual. He squeezed her hands and lowered his head. "I like you. Will you please be my girlfriend?"

"Are you sure? I took you on a date to a haunted house."

"It’s okay if you’re with me."

She ducked her head to hide her blush. “D-don’t say embarrassing things!”  

He smiled, tilting his head. “Gou?”

With a gentle tug she pulled his hands closer, and he raised an eyebrow when she stood on her toes.  _Ah, she’s trying this…_

When she tilted her head up, he leaned down and kissed her temple, and she dropped back to her flat feet. She tugged his hands and stomped her foot. “I wanted to be first!”  


End file.
